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Attention Jimi Hendrix Fans: Special Online Event Saturday Night 9PM

Roger Friedman
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Attention Jimi Hendrix Fans: Special Online Event Saturday Night 9PM

If like me you continually astonished by the genius of Jimi Hendrix, here’s an online event you cannot miss.

Tomorrow night. Saturday at 7pm, my old friend Bob Davis of Soul Patrol is hosting a Hendrix webinar featuring Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers.

Here’s the schedule:

The panel will be moderated by Bob Davis and will consist of the author Cory Washington, Darrell McNeill (Black Rock Coalition) and Ernie Isley (Isley Bros.)

Featured partricipants will be Corey Washington, author of “Jimi Hendrix: Black Legacy,” Darrell McNeill of the Black Rock Coalition – he’s een spreading the “Gospel” of Hendrix for the past 40 years, and the amazing Ernie Isley of the Isley Brothers.

There will be a 45 minute video presentation  bbased on Jimi Hendrix/Black Legacy, produced by Corey Washington and a 1 hour panel discussion, based on the issues related to Jimi Hendrix/Black Legacy.

Sign Up/Register for the event at:
http://soul-patrol.com/webinars/jimi-hendrix-black-legacy-retrospective/?wspage=register

If you don’t know about www.soul-patrol.com and you’re an R&B fan, please go there and start reading. I met Bob Davis in the 90s, and he’s been a True Believer all these years. When I was working my way up to making “Only the Strong Survive,” he was incredibly helpful.

Classic R&B has to preserved. Sirius can’t do it alone with Soul Town! So tune in. As for Hendrix, he’s like James Brown. The more you listen to him now, you realize what an utter genius he was. Ernie Isley is going to talk about how Hendrix’s sound took the IB’s from “This Old Heart of Mine” to “Who’s That Lady.” I can’t wait!

Review: “Billions” This Sunday Recreates Famous Frittata Scene from Beloved Movie “Big Night”

Roger Friedman
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Review: “Billions” This Sunday Recreates Famous Frittata Scene from Beloved Movie “Big Night”

Fans of Showtime’s “Billions” know that creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien pepper the script with references to classic movies. This new Season 5.2 is particularly rich with them, you almost feel like you’ve got to be Googling along as each one comes.

But this episode coming on Sunday night has the best movie tribute I’ve seen so far. The penultimate scene recreates the famous frittata scene that ends Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott’s beloved film, “Big Night.”

On “Billions,” however, it’s more of an omelette, and it appears to be cooked live on screen by Paul Giamatti’s Chuck Rhoades for his teenage daughter and billionaire Mike Prince (Corey Stoll). The scene is three minutes long and has no dialogue, rather a first for an American TV series.

But “Billions” is full of firsts. The whole episode is unusual in that it cleverly addresses a problem the show had when it resumed filming after the pandemic. Star Damian Lewis was stuck in London not just because of travel restrictions but also because Lewis’s real life, the great Helen McCrory, had tragically died from cancer.

To get around Lewis having to shoot scenes in London, the writers exposed his character to COVID and explained his teleconferencing into the show as Bobby Axelrod in quarantine. It works very well, and it also gives David Constabile, who plays Wags, a chance to really shine in Axe’s absence. It’s another great episode of the underappreciated drama.

PS Guest alert: Polly Draper, famous for being Ellen on “thirtysomething” and for being the mother of actors Nate and Alex Wolff, has a cameo in this episode. She’s a member of Chuck’s Zoom dinner party. Polly is much missed on TV in regular roles. She looks great!

Review: Oscar Watch for Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” Stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench In a Jewel of a Film

Leah Sydney
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Review: Oscar Watch for Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” Stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench In a Jewel of a Film

At a recent screening, Kenneth Branagh told the rapt audience that his love affair with his latest film “Belfast” his semi-autobiographical film about his growing up and leaving his beloved home of Belfast, was long in the making.  Branagh noted, “This story was 50 years in the making, always in my head, talking to me.  When COVID happened, I listened and I wrote it.”

Branagh wrote it, indeed.  An elegant shot film, mostly in black and white, “Belfast” is a poignant, heartfelt, funny; a deeply personal tale of the tumult that was growing up in a violent, fractured community in Northern Ireland.  Jude Hill, a young actor worthy of all the kudos he’s receiving, plays Kenneth’s alter ego Buddy. He’s a sweet, curious lad who revels in his family’s love. Mummy (gorgeously played by Caitriona Balfe) his doting grandparents (the divine Judi Dench and equally superb Ciaran Hinds.)

The sadness for Buddy is that the Dad he adores (a terrific turn by Jamie Dornan,) is often gone for a higher paying job in England and comes home sporadically.  But he’s still a present figure even when he’s not there.  The family is Protestant and live in a mixed religious neighborhood alongside their friendly Catholic neighbors.  But the utopian coziness ends when the ‘troubles’ begin. Buddy’s moral driven Dad steadfastly refuses to take sides. That in turn brings more conflict with the bad guy leader of the local Ulster Volunteer Force.  But back to the family, the backbone of the story.  Mom is a tough lass, loving but firm, torn between her devotion to her neighborhood and the reality of what their life is becoming.  Buddy’s Dad is more realistic, he sees the writing on the now graffiti laden walls of their beloved town.

Dornan and Balfe are just wonderful in their roles. Dench and Hinds are otherworldly in theirs.  As a devoted couple after decades of marriage, their shorthand of love and sarcasm is a joy to watch.  When the prospect of Buddy leaving them becomes real, his anguish and theirs defines the word heartbreaking.  Showing what civil upheaval does to this one family and their neighborhood is wrenching.

Belfast born Van Morrison wrote the music which fits pitch perfectly. “Belfast” surely will be the recipient of numerous awards across the board; writing, directing, acting, cinematography, music etc., as it should be. Branagh’s passion project “Belfast” is a true love letter to the people who stayed, who left and to all who still hold Belfast dear.  “Belfast” is a jewel of a film.

Vanity Fair, With No Hollywood Covers This Year, Loses a Main Entertainment Writer

Roger Friedman
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Vanity Fair, With No Hollywood Covers This Year, Loses a Main Entertainment Writer

Vanity Fair has lost one of its main entertainment writers in Joanna Robinson. She announced on Twitter today that she was leaving of her own accord, which surprised most of her colleagues including film critic Richard Lawson. Robinson has done so much heavy lifting for VF she can write her own ticket anywhere, I think.

Vanity Fair still makes the most of its Hollywood issue and Oscar party. But in reality they have no connection any more to the world of current movies. This year, aside from the Hollywood cover, none of the covers have had anything do with contemporary releases.

The current cover subject is Regina King, whose directorial debut, “One Night in Miami,” was part of last year’s crop of films. King won an Oscar the year before that. Last month, Sean Puffy Combs was on the cover, a star from the 90s who divulged nothing in his interview.

So if I were Joanna Robinson, I’d be leaving, too. Other covers this year have included Stephen Colbert, Dua Lipa, Anya Taylor Joy (from TV, as of now), and Billie Eilish. The magazine that prides itself on their Oscar party and celebrity events is almost completely disconnected from the reality of the movie business.

Robinson wrote: “Today is my last day at VANITY FAIR after seven years on the job. I feel incredibly grateful to leave under my own steam and on very good terms with the VF people I love and admire…As heartbroken as I am to go I am also incredibly excited to share what’s next and I promise I will when I can. I’m thrilled to be able to keep podcasting and writing and sharing all the things I Iove with you. You can’t take a picture of this, though, it’s already gone.”

The result is that VF’s circulation has dropped precipitously not just on the newsstand but digitally as well. Their rank on Alexa.com has fallen to below 1,900 of all websites. That’s a hit of 1,000 points over the last year. It’s not for lack of good writing, there’s plenty of that.But whatever their mission and audience were, it’s been long ago abandoned.

PS The funny part of this is that when I wrote back to her on Twitter that she was leaving the Titanic, she blocked me on Twitter. No good turn goes unpunished!

 

 

Listen to 4 Unreleased Beatles Tracks from the “Let It Be” Anniversary Album Coming Next Month

Roger Friedman
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Listen to 4 Unreleased Beatles Tracks from the “Let It Be” Anniversary Album Coming Next Month

Beatles fans: These are four unreleased tracks that will be included in the “Let it Be” anniversary collection coming October 15th. So far, no one seems to know they’re up on YouTube, but now we do.

The “Let it Be” collection comes right before the Get Back documentary about “Let it Be” in November.

The collection retails for $117 and is currently number 3 on Amazon, which is sort of wild. This will be the last of the Beatles’ 50th anniversary box sets as “Let it Be” was their final release in May 1970.

Pop Fizz: Lorde’s “Solar Power” Album Was a Dud, “Royals” Singer Hasn’t Been Able to Repeat Chart Success

Roger Friedman
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Pop Fizz: Lorde’s “Solar Power” Album Was a Dud, “Royals” Singer Hasn’t Been Able to Repeat Chart Success

Oh Lorde!

The New Zealand pop star had a massive hit with “Royals,” which turns out to be a one off chart star.

But that was four years ago. Lorde’s second album wasn’t a hit, although it did get a mysterious Album of the Year nomination from the Grammys.

Three weeks ago, Lorde dropped her third album, “Solar Power,” after the title single did little business. The result was not much business. The total sales number is 113,000 including streaming. Actual sales and downloads came to 42,000.

Basically, Lorde needs prayers at this point. She hasn’t been able to reproduce the “Royals” magic. The “Solar Power” song was criticized for sounding like it lifted music from George Michael. The album overall received meh reviews.

Practically speaking, it’s almost impossible to purchase a Lorde CD for a normal price on Amazon. They’re just not available. Lorde doesn’t believe in issuing them, although she does offer an expensive vinyl version. So she’s basically shot herself in the foot. Her record company must be thrilled.

Will she get another Grammy nomination for Album of the Year? When this happened with “Melodrama,” another sales stinker, everyone was puzzled. This time around, without those secret Grammy committees, it seems unlikely.

Adele Faces Sixth Anniversary of No New Music, Still Second to Sade in Release Intervals

Roger Friedman
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Adele Faces Sixth Anniversary of No New Music, Still Second to Sade in Release Intervals

Flip open the calendar. In two months it will be mid November 2021. The last time Adele released a new album was November 20, 2015, six years ago.

That’s right. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins has only released three albums in her career: numbered 19, 21, and 25. The latter album sold millions of copies when it was released, and launched hit singles including “Hello” and “When I Was Young.”

She followed that album with a world tour that also made her millions. A few months later she released a separate single, the James Bond movie theme for “Skyfall.”  And then she fell — off the career map.

Now Adele faces an ignominious anniversary. New new album in six years. I’d say it’s “a record” but actually her Sony Music labelmate is much worse. Sade hasn’t released a new album in almost 11 years. And it was eight years in between her last two releases.

Does it matter? Kinda, yeah. Sade also released three albums in a short period, establishing her career and her hits. But Sade also learned that spacing out releases like this makes it harder and harder to sell records no matter how famous or popular you are. You simply lose your age group. The fans outgrow buying your records.

The preponderance of “classic” rock and pop acts from the 60s, 70s and early 80s released record after record for five or six years in a row. They built their own demographic. Adele has completely ignored all that. When she does return, she’ll have a big opening week or two, but sales and interest will cool off quickly. And the longer she waits, the worse it will get.

So Adele, wherever you are, it’s time to get going. The kids who bought “Hello” in 2015, if they were 15, are now finishing college. All your peers– Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Miley, Halsey, Ariana, etc — have released dozens of records in that time, songs they will be able to go back to 20 years from now when their fans are nostalgic. I think you may be sorry you didn’t keep up with them.

 

“Tammy Faye,” with Middling Reviews for Film and Raves for Star, Gets Small Release for 1st Weekend

Roger Friedman
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“Tammy Faye,” with Middling Reviews for Film and Raves for Star, Gets Small Release for 1st Weekend

I haven’t seen “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” but I feel like I have: Jessica Chastain, the star, has worked like crazy flying all over the world promoting it. Chastain, one of our best actresses, also produced it. She deserves five stars for pitching in.

Chastain has gotten uniformly great reviews for playing Tammy Faye Bakker, someone most us thought little about beyond “SNL” parody sketches. But Chastain saw a character she could play and make human in the televangelist wife of even weirder Jim Bakker (pronounced Baker if you’ve never heard this story).

Still, the movie itself has been a dud with critics. Our Leah Sydney really liked it, but many others didn’t including the New York Times. A.O. Scott wrote: “The Bakkers were many things to many people: appalling, inspiring, laughable, sad. This movie succeeds in making them dull.”

But Ann Hornaday wrote in The Washington Post: “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” gives viewers an absorbing, amusing and provocative chance to rethink yet another train wreck who turned out to be, of all things, human.”

Awards Radar said: “Jessica Chastain puts this one on her back and takes it across the finish line. ” And this one from USA Today: “It’s going to be tough not to worship at the altar of Jessica Chastain throughout this Oscar season.”

I agree, I think Jessica Chastain deserves an Oscar just being Jessica Chastain. But Searchlight, which is now part of Disney, is only releasing “Tammy Faye” into 470 theaters this weekend. That’s a small release, which is surprising to those of who’ve watched Chastain in the media. She deserved a bigger throw, I think. Still, if they do well they can always place it on Disney Plus or Hulu. I will catch up with it just to see Chastain and co-star Andrew Garfield sometime this next week.

 

RIP Jane Powell, One of the Last Great Real Hollywood Musical Stars, Dies at 92

Roger Friedman
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RIP Jane Powell, One of the Last Great Real Hollywood Musical Stars, Dies at 92

Jane Powell, maybe the last of great Hollywood musical stars, has died at age 92 at her home in Wilton, Connecticut.

Married five times, Powell was a superstar of the movie studio contract era, an MGM queen. She was a screen star, a Broadway star, and a TV star late in her career between commercials and appearances on shows like “Law & Order.”

For a decade, between 1948 and 1958, when there were just three TV channels and movies, you could not get away — and wouldn’t want to — from Jane Powell on screen. Three of her films were with the Steven Spielberg of Hollywood musicals, Stanley Donen, including “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.”

She segued into theater work from 1958 through the mid 70s, capping her career with “Irene” on Broadway for six months in 1974. In the late 50s she also had a successful recording career.

Even though Powell had only one Broadway credit, the League of Theaters should dim the lights for her. Those film musicals in the 50s fed the popularity of Broadway for the rest of time.

 

Ken Jennings Back at “Jeopardy!” as Guest Host This Fall, I Told You Last Fall He’d Get the Job

Roger Friedman
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Ken Jennings Back at “Jeopardy!” as Guest Host This Fall, I Told You Last Fall He’d Get the Job

I told you last November 2020 that “Jeopardy!” producers expected Ken Jennings to get the job as Alex Trebek’s successor.

Then Mike Richards stepped in and gave himself the job. Now Richards is long gone, and Jennings is on his way in.

TMZ reports that Jennings and Mayim Bialik will split the rest of the season alternating as hosts. Bialik has to concentrate on her sitcom so it’s unlikely she can be full time in the future.

Jennings had the highest ratings of any guest host this past year. He’s the greatest player of all time. The fans love him. Whatever stupid Tweets he sent out years ago are forgotten, and he’s apologized for them. This cancel culture business is out of control. Listen, no one cares. If Nick Cannon can make anti-Semitic rants and still have a daytime talk show, all bets are off.

Trebek wanted Jennings. He got hired on as a consulting producer with that goal. It was Richards, quite Machiavellian, who threw a wrench in the works. I told you this almost a year go. And here it is.

 

 

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